Pondering At Burning Ones

It is Sunday evening and I am exhausted, yet in a place of rest, after spending a wonderful, powerful weekend at the Burning Ones youth conference. The worship times were intense, loud, quiet, sincere, beautiful and very real. The teachings by Banning Liebscher were filled with the spirit of God, like a flowing river of life that drew hearts closer to their Maker. I marveled as I stood next to one of my dear cousins. I could not help but think of the stories I had heard about our great, great grandfather, who was a circuit preacher in Central Texas in the early 1900's. I imagined him riding on his horse to the next town, leaving his family behind, once again, to preach the Gospel. Surely he prayed prayers of hope for his future children and grandchildren. And here I stood, in 2008, next to my cousin, our hands raised, our hearts full of passion for the King.

As I experienced encounters with God and watched others who were obviously encountering Him, as well, I could not express my gratitude to the Father enough. I thought back to my wedding day and, as weird as it may sound to some, my wedding night; how my new husband and I arrived at our hotel, sat on the bed, hand-in-hand and invited the Holy Spirit to come and be the center of our marriage. And, believe me, God has blessed EVERY aspect of our relationship. I thought about how amazing it is that God intricately designed every little detail in my life up to this very moment. As I sang to God, I smiled as I realized that the invitation we made to the Holy Spirit that night had been the most important invitation we will ever make.

On Friday, as we arrived at the church for the first night of the youth conference, a strong wind came, blowing leaves everywhere. Before we stepped out of the car, the meteorologist on the radio declared, "This is a red-flag warning. For the next 24 hours, we are at high risk for wildfires. With the dry conditions and the high winds, please be aware of the fire danger." It dawned on me that we were attending a conference called "Burning Ones" and sure enough, the Holy Spirit came like a mighty wind. My thoughts were drawn to Acts 2, where it describes "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Wow! God was really telling us something with the wind and fire.

On the second day of the conference, my husband did a teaching on treasure hunting; where you pray and ask God for "clues" about who/what He would have you pray for. Then you go out and do it. After the teaching, hundreds of people were released to various locations as their assignment. We decided to go to the mall and observe what was happening. We watched as a group prayed for a blind man. The man was so touched even though he did not receive his sight at that moment. By the end of the day, there were two reports of broken bones immediately mended, an injured knee completely healed, a woman's back healed, and numerous people who received prayer and were touched by God. Some of those who went "treasure hunting" may have felt that they failed, but we know that as long as you step out in compassion to offer a piece of Heaven, it is a success.

In the months to come, there will be many critical changes that take place in our country and I am glad to know that there are people who are submitted to God and ready to do what He says. They are an army, ready to be deployed, filled with power from above. They are the burning ones.

President Barak Hussein Obama....

A name I never thought I would hear for an American president. I must say that I feel a sense of joy and victory for African-Americans, yet my prayer is that Obama has multiple encounters with the God of the universe that will cause him to make decisions that please God; that the lives of the unborn would be protected, that the sanctity of marriage be upheld, and that we continue in our religious freedoms. After it was announced that Obama won the presidency, the headlines read, "All Things Are Possible." I agree. All things are possible with God. It is possible for the hearts of kings and presidents to be turned. What an historic day. Let us all pray for the protection of this new president. Even if we disagree with his ideas, we have a responsibility to pray for him so that he can serve as God would have him to serve.

Sucker for the Barrel

I am very well aware of the schemes of businesses and their sly ways of marketing, but I've got to tell you, I am a sucker for the Cracker Barrel! I cannot seem to stay away from this old, country-house restaurant with its fine home-cooking and its attractive gift shop. A front porch filled with rocking chairs is one of my dreams...and where else can you find consistently good sweet tea...and should I mention the Coca-Cola Fudge Cake?

Don't worry about expense. The Cracker Barrel owners allow adults to order from the children's menu! I find that the two-vegetable child's plate with sweet tea hits the spot for me. As long as I have a bit of fried okra, sweet baby carrots and a fluffy, delicious biscuit, I am good to go.

Oh, and the gift shop, which is especially lovely at Christmas time, contains some great bargains (I always shop clearance). The sound of Christmas carols, tinkling bells and the smells of pumpkin spice will draw you in. At least that's what it has done to me. MMMM....I think I had better be heading there now.